Toe-binding apparatus.



J. GAVANAGH.

TOE BINDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION rILnp NOV. 8, 1910.

1,084,331. Patented Jan. 13, 1914-,

M TAX/555 551 JAMES CAVANAGH, 0F BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW

JERSEY.

JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW TOE-BINDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Application filed November 8, 1910. Serial No. 591,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES CAVANAGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suflolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Toe-Binding Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of boots and shoes and particularly to the lasting of shoes and has for its object to provideimproved means for securing the shoe upper materials inv lasted position particularly about the toe portion of the last. A present custom is to bind the toe portion of the upper of shoes having channeled or shouldered innersoles by means of a portion of wire, tape or other strand which is anchored at one side of the toe, passed around the end of the shoe and secured in binding position at the other sideand cut off. The piece of binding material is taken off and thrown away after or immediately before the welt sewing-on operation by which the upper is permanently fastened to the innersole. The quantity of wire or tape consumed in this manner aggregates many dollars worth. Also in the use of wire the free end portions of the binder frequently scratch and damage adjacent shoes in the ing devices may or may same rack.

In accordance with a feature of this invention, a binder is provided which is capable of repeated use. This binder in its preferred form has no loose or projecting ends and advantageously it is formed with eyes or with eyelets to receive the anchoring tacks if anchoring tacks are required.

A further and very important feature of this invention consists in means for applying the binder and holding it under tension while it is anchored. A preferred form of this apparatus comprises a holder for detachably engaging the two ends of a binder and a lever or the like for actuating the holder to tighten the it under tension. This apparatus can be used in lasting shoes on the bed type of lasting machines in place of the present gen-' eral practice, above mentioned, of tightening the binders. The tightening and holdnot be detached binder and maintain from the binder. In the former case the binder will have eyes or eyelets through which anchor tacks will be driven and, as herein shown, it will have eyes or eyelets in the rear of said tack receiving eyes and adapted to receive the hooked ends of a cross bar which constitute the holder that will be slipped out of the rear eyes as soon as the binder is anchored and, with the lever which is pivoted on the holder and is formed for holding engagement with the shoe sole, it will be ready to use in binding another shoe. The tack receiving eyes or eyelets and the holder receiving eyes in the binder will advantageously be formed transverse to each other.-

In a second construction the tightening lever and the holder are so constructed and arranged relatively that when the lever is turned into binder tightening position it is automatically retained in that relation to the binder and in engagement with the innersole. \Vith this arrangement no anchor tacks are necessary but. the entire apparatus remains together on the shoe. In the illustrated embodiment of this form of the apparatus the tightening lever has a foot to which it is pivotally connected and which is provided with forwardly inclined teeth to be forced automatically into the face of the innersole by the binder tightening action of the lever. The pivotal connection of the lever with the holder is so located relatively to its pivotal connection with the foot that the lever is maintained in its binder tightening position after being turned thereto.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will more fully appear in connection with the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and will then be pointed out in the claims.

The improvements herein disclosed in methods for use in lasting shoes are not here claimed but are made the subject matter of a divisional application Ser. No. 777,147, filed July 3, 1913.

In the drawings illustrating this inventi0n,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus applied to a shoe; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified construction.

The binder 1 may be of wire or any other suitable continuous material and will conveniently be formed with an eye or eyelet 3 at each end for inter-en agement with the holder 2. Any other ormation or arrangement for this purpose may be employed. The holder has a cooperating hooked or other formation at its ends to receive the binder eyes and permit spread or contraction of the binder according to the width of the shoe. The lever 5 which may be pivoted on the holder bar has teeth 6 shaped to engage in the innersole and give a fulcrum point for operation of the lever to draw the holder rearwardly and tighten the binder. If the binder is to be secured with anchor tacks it will be provided with eyelets 8 which extend transversely to the eyelets 3 in which the holder engages and which will be positioned by that engagement of the holder in upright or tack receiving position.

After the anchor tacks have been inserted the holder lever is turned forwardly and the holder bar slipped out of its eyes in the binder which latter remains on the shoe until it is no longer needed when it is removed and used over again on another shoe. This use can be repeated many times.

If the holder is to remain on the shoe the lever will be connected to the holder bar in such relation to the binder and to the innersole engaging teeth that itwill remain in its turned down position. In Fig. 2 they special construction for this purpose includes the bent lever 15 pivoted to the bar 2 and fulcrumed at 16 to the foot piece 18 which has claws 20 to engage in the innersole. In this construction of course the eyes 8 of the binder are unnecessary. The apparatus is removed as a whole when the shoe reaches the welt sewing-on machine. This construction is not herein specifically claimed but will be made the subject matter of a divisional application.

Having explained the nature of this invention and described a preferred, embodiment thereof and how it may be used, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters lasted position about the toe of a last comprising a strand to embrace the toe, a holder engaging the opposite ends of the binder and permitting variation in the width of the binder for shoes of different widths, and a lever pivoted to the holder and fulcruming on the innersole for operation to tighten the binder.

4. A binding apparatus comprising a holder to eXtend transversely across a shoe, a loop engaged with the holder and embracing the toe portion of the upper, and a lever connected ,to the holder and adapted to engage and fulcrum on the innersole to draw the loop tight about the shoe.

5. A binding apparatus comprising a holder formed for engagement with the opposite ends of a toe binder strand, and a lever connected to the holder and having a formation to stick into the innersole for fulcruming engagement therewith in the actuation of the holder to tighten the binder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JAMES CAVANAGH. Witnesses: I

ARTHUR L. RUSSELL, ELIZABETH C. COUPE. 

